Less than an hour before game time, 5:02 p.m. to be exact, of the Detroit Red Wings’ Red and White game at Compuware Arena, the parking was shut down because the scrimmage was a sellout.

“I thought that was maybe the best thing about the whole night,” Wings coach Mike Babcock said after Team Red’s 4-2 win over Team White Tuesday night. “I understand the parking lot was jammed and it was tough getting in here. They fans are very, very supportive of the players and I’m appreciative that they stuck with us.”

“That’s awesome,” said goalie Jimmy Howard, who was in net for Team White. “Just says how much our fans love us. The way they came out here tonight, it’s inspiring for us.”

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It was also the first time fans got to see newest find Damien Brunner in live game action.

“It was fun, when we play exhibition games in Switzerland we don’t have fans in the stands,” Brunner said. “It’s fun to hear them cheer. The Red Wings have great fans. I’m looking forward to playing more games in front of them.”

Team Red got goals from Drew Miller and newly named captain Henrik Zetterberg, along with goals from a pair of Grand Rapids Griffins – Louis-Marc Aubry and Nathan Paetsch.

“It was awesome,” Zetterberg said. “I was here 4:15, it was packed everywhere, almost couldn’t get to our parking lot. So it was pretty amazing to see all the fans show up. We really appreciate that. We’re really looking forward to Tuesday’s home opener.”

Both of Team White’s goals were scored by Griffins – Trevor Parkes and Jeff Hoggan.

“If you’ve worked hard on your conditioning it shows and if you haven’t it shows,” said Babcock, who watched the game from the pressbox. “To me that’s a priority one for us is to get playing fast.

“I thought Brunner, he generated some offense for sure,” Babcock added. “It’s tight space. It’s not heavy going out there or anything like that so only time will tell. And I thought (Brendan) Smith was good. Those are the two guys for me that aren’t regular Wings that stood out for me.”

The game ended with a five player shootout and Howard was in midseason form, stopping all five shooters he faced. Valtteri Filppula, Todd Bertuzzi and Smith each scored on Jonas Gustavsson.

“It was good to be back out there,” Howard said. “Definitely, that game served its purpose of getting the rust off. As the game went along I felt more and more comfortable, and more and more at home out there, which is a great sign for me.”

The Wings open the season on the road in St. Louis on Saturday and then play in Columbus Monday before returning home for the home opener Tuesday against the Dallas Stars.

“To be honest, I felt really good out there,” Howard said. “A lot better than I thought I would be so I was surprised about that. Still a little bit of the key areas where following the puck, especially on the power play up at the point. For the most part I felt pretty good. For the rest of the guys we have three more practices here and we have to dive right into it, no matter what.”

Brunner said he’s still feeling the effects of jet lag from his trip from Switzerland a few days ago.

“I can sleep for 15 hours right now,” Brunner smiled. “I’ll get use to that too.

“It was good to get some game action going actually,” Brunner added. “It’s different on the small ice and it’s different than practice because in practice everyone knows what to do. It’s good to see you have a little more space than I thought in game action. It felt good today.”

And Brunner showed he will go hard to the net on a few occasions.

“It’s got some great skill and it’s going to be fun to watch him this year, especially if he’s going to be playing with Z,” Howard said. “He knows how to get open, he knows how to find that soft area, and Z’s good at finding people, so it should be a good connection.”

Pavel Datsyuk, who didn’t play in Tuesday’s game, is slated to skate with Zetterberg and Brunner to open the season.

“Hopefully they can be a good line for us,” Babcock said. “But in the end you have to get to the net to score. Pav and Z have always been dynamic players and we’re hopeful we found a player in Brunner that will continue to grow. He’s a kid in the league that hasn’t played in the league and it’s a hard league.”

The game was the return to the lineup, somewhat, for Patrick Eaves, who last played on Nov. 26, 2011.

“It felt good to be out there, playing again,” Eaves said. “It’s improving, the more I get used to everything. Right now we’re seeing how every day goes.”

Eaves has been cleared for practices, but not games.

“We’ll re-evaluate when camp’s over and see where I’m at,” Eaves said.

“It’s great for Patty Eaves,” Babcock said. “He’s been a year away from hockey and to come back and play I’m sure he feels good. We’re pulling for Patty Eaves first and the Red Wings second.”

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